


Idolatry

by Mello_Drama_Reborn



Category: DREAM!ing (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, I don't trust Hanabusa Yuri, set during their first year
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-05
Updated: 2019-01-05
Packaged: 2019-10-04 23:11:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17313644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mello_Drama_Reborn/pseuds/Mello_Drama_Reborn
Summary: While telling Yuri about his new high school, Yanagi mentions's Shinonome's new pairing system, and Yuri insists on meeting Yanagi's.





	Idolatry

“Yuri said she wants to meet you.”

“Eh…? Your sister…”

Kasuka’s face held all the shock Yanagi felt, discomfort still twisting in his gut every time he thought of the request. As much as he felt like granting it would risk her innocence somehow, however, Yanagi couldn’t bring himself to ignore her wishes, and so finally he found himself mentioning it to his partner.

“… It is probably better that I decline. I would only disturb her.”

 _Ah, he does get it._  
As much as he wanted to let it end there, though, telling Yuri “he didn’t want to see you” would be too cruel, and so Yanagi forced himself to persist.

“You don’t need to worry about that. Please, say you’ll come.”

Despite his encouraging smile, Kasuka only gave Yanagi a pitiful stare, like a dog trying to resist the pull of its leash.

“Perhaps she would prefer to meet our other classmates? I’m sure someone like Shibasaki, or perhaps that fool Ushiwaka…”

“She’s already met Minato- and anyway, I already asked her. She wants you, Kasuka.”

Yanagi recalled the conversation- after he had casually mentioned the new pairing system at Shinonome, Yuri had fixated on Yanagi’s no matter how he’d tried to steer the conversation away from him. He supposed Yuri didn’t hear much about the other people in his life- it was hopeless to talk about his dates, since it was too dangerous to have her meet any (if the number of near-death experiences he had was any indication), and at this point Yuri thought he was making them up because of how quickly their names changed (which was fine, it was probably better for Yuri to not know how he acted around other women). Besides them, Yanagi only really hung out with Minato, and though Yuri had met him a few times, he got the feeling that she was worried he didn’t have anyone else. Yuri didn’t get to talk to any girls her own age – Yanagi couldn’t bare the thought that her loneliness might be increased by worry for his sake; and anyhow, if there was something Yuri couldn’t do, it was Yanagi’s job to do it in her place.  
And yet, Kasuka continued to look at him with reluctance, before turning his gaze downwards to not look at him at all.

“Of course I am honored that someone of your divine heritage would see me worthy of summoning, and if your sister is anything like you, then - ahhh,” Yanagi grit his teeth, hating more and more the idea of introducing Kasuka to her, “… But, that I might bring unpleasantness to someone you care about—I do not think I could bare the weight of that sin.”

“I understand, Kasuka, but… Well, I suppose, I can’t refuse her Divine Will.”

Yanagi regretted not speaking more carefully the moment Kasuka’s unsettling wording left his lips, Kasuka’s mouth falling open at the sound.

“… If that is how you feel about it, then…”

Another shiver moved through Yanagi, but he forced himself to stay silent, instead turning away, pulling out his phone to deliver to Yuri what he hoped would be happy news.

 

“So, did you bring anything for Yuri?”

Talking with Kasuka was rarely pleasant, but watching him try to avoid the stares of every person they passed was its own agony, and so Yanagi started conversation as they approached the hospital with hopes he’d look somewhat relaxed by the time they got to Yuri’s room.

“Yes, actually…” Kasuka glanced somewhat nervously into the bag hanging from his shoulder, as if checking that everything was still there. “I know that the nature of her illness is still largely unknown, so I brought protective charms against both disease and evil spirits, as well as a token meant to bring good fortune for health. Her lucky item is also-”

“Ah, yes, that’s very thoughtful of you, Kasuka. I’m sure she’ll appreciate them very much.” Yanagi cut him off as they reached the hospital doors, starting to feel self-conscious as he immediately recognized the receptionist at the counter. He couldn’t help but wonder if she would think of him as a horrible older brother after this - the thought of getting her judging stare every week from now on sending a shiver down his back. Nonetheless, it was too late to turn back now, his feet moving mostly on autopilot through the familiar halls of the hospital.

“Yuri, are you awake? How are you?”  
To his relief, Yuri seemed healthy - she was sitting up expectantly, her face brightening the moment Yanagi poked his head through the door, and Yanagi couldn’t help but smile at the mental image of her impatiently watching the clock moments before.  
“Just like I promised you, I’ve brought my partner from school. Are you excited?”

Yuri gave an eager nod, and Yanagi laughed, finally stepping through the doorway so Kasuka could come in as well.  
Kasuka immediately seemed to shrink under Yuri’s expectant gaze, instinctively hiding his face from her, and Yanagi moved to push him towards her, gently scolding “Come on, don’t be shy now. Introduce to yourself to her.”

“Y-Yes! My apologies!!” Kasuka’s face shot up, and he crept hesitantly towards Yuri’s sickbed, sitting stiffly on the chair positioned at her bedside. “H-Hello. I-I believe that Yanagi-kun told you about me?”  
Yuri gave another excited nod, and the confirmation made Kasuka swoon in a way that made Yanagi wish he could throw him out the window immediately. Instead, he moved to stand at his side, sliding a hand down Kasuka’s back so he could give him a subtle pinch to stop his feverish mumbling.  
“Eh? Ah- yes! Still, it is polite for me to introduce myself, my apologies!” Yuri only giggled, and Yanagi felt his smile return at the sight of it, his hand on Kasuka’s back becoming gentler as it urged him onward. “Yes, ahem. I am Shibutani Kasuka, a shaman. I have also been blessed with the privilege of being your brother’s classmate, his partner and roommate, to share his dreams and witness the redeeming light of his hea-”  
Another pinch. Kasuka let out one of his characteristic squeaks, and Yuri giggled again.

“What’s big brother like, at school?”

Yanagi recognized the determined look in her eyes and immediately felt his heart drop. So that was her angle.

Yanagi didn’t tell Yuri about a lot of aspects of his life. Most of it was ugly, and what wasn’t was usually lies. The relationships he enjoyed and then threw away at a moments notice, and the violence that followed. His bitterness over Yuri’s condition, the constant lingering fear that this visit would be their last- the desperation to give her something to live for, to never let her down, to stop himself from causing her any more suffering than she already had. The dirty things he did for her sake. The person he’d allowed himself to become for her sake.  
Yanagi was Yuri’s only window to the rest of the world, and yet he hid so much of it behind flowered curtains. He could tell, from all the time they’d talked together, that she knew, and it frustrated her.  
Maybe it was wrong of him to try to curate an only beautiful world for her. Even if it was perhaps the only benefit to living an isolated life in the hospital, maybe it was wrong to deprive her of the knowledge of what people were really like- the bitter experiences that were nonetheless a valuable part of being alive.  
Maybe she already knew- heard conversations from nurses and doctors and visiting families through the thin walls of the hospital. Maybe she knew enough to see through him, to know how much of what he told her were lies and excuses, knew enough to see all the blood on his hands. Maybe they were both just pretending for each other.

Even if that was true, Kasuka was perhaps his worst monstrosity.  
To use him to learn what Yanagi wouldn’t tell her, even if he would never speak badly of him, was terrifying.

But of course, all of Kasuka’s nervousness immediately fell away upon being prompted on his favorite topic of discussion, the light filling his eyes even brighter than Yuri’s.

“Yanagi-kun’s divine presence is of course unrivaled among the student body – for him, to allow someone like me to accompany him in his rise to greatness, to allow me to take part in the lives where he showers the ungrateful masses with the redeeming light of his aga-”

“Kasuka, try to be normal, please.”

“I am not the one being odd! It’s those fools, blinded by their greed and envy, who deny your greatness, who are odd!!!”

“Who are those people?” Yuri spoke up now, sending another wave of unease through Yanagi as Kasuka turned back to her with ferocity.

“Those unrepentant wretches do not even deserve to be acknowledged!” In an ideal world, he would follow through on that statement and drop the subject, but of course Yanagi knew his righteous fury couldn’t be contained so easily, and so he regretfully continued “Regularly Yanagi-kun is forced to suffer the injustices of those miserable people – selfish, indulgent women who would wish to take him from the world, or men who claim a right to vengeance; though they are surely demons possessed by their sinful emotions, my sewing wards into his jacket as yet to deter them-“

“I’m sorry, you what now?”

Kasuka’s gaze turned nervously back up to Yanagi, regret plain on his features.

“I-I’m deeply sorry, someone like me isn’t worthy of handling your clothes, and yet with the danger you regularly face I couldn’t help but worry, and so I-”

“Big brother, take off your jacket!!” Yuri looked absolutely delighted at the development, and Yanagi sighed as he did as she asked, slipping off his coat and looking at the inside.

“… Oh, there they are. I thought you’d just meant my uniform jacket.”

“…. all of them…” was all Kasuka could mumble as Yanagi handed his jacket to Yuri to inspect.

“Is this your handwriting?” Yuri pointed to one of the wards as she looked to Kasuka, who seemed grateful for the distraction from his guilt as he turned back to her.

“Y-Yes…”

“It’s really pretty! Could you write me something?”

At that, Kasuka’s face cracked into a wide smile, and immediately he started digging through his bag, jolting a bit as he remembered the gifts he’d put in there.

Despite Yanagi’s worries, Yuri seemed genuinely pleased with his presents, Kasuka calmly explaining the purpose of each charm and ward and doing whatever steps were necessary to activate or invoke them. The lucky item he’d mentioned before also turned out to be a small toy, Yuri allowing it to sit on the bed with her as Kasuka finally took out the paper and brush he always carried with him and, in his best calligraphy, wrote

_May God keep this room bright with heavenly smiles_

Though having something Kasuka wrote hung above his bed sounded horrifying to Yanagi, watching Yuri’s delight as Kasuka hung up his work, he couldn’t help but feel reluctantly happy too.

 

… Though the visit went remarkably well, Yanagi felt his unease slowly rise in the following weeks.

“Yuri, is that from Kasuka?”  
It was an ink brush painting of a flower, the strokes reminiscent of Kasuka’s handwriting (an observation that brought with it the disheartening realization of how familiar he’d come with his roommate). Yuri looked to the picture with a smile, giving Yanagi a pleased nod, and Yanagi tried not to let his uneasiness show as he asked “So he’s been visiting you without me?”

“Mm hm! We exchanged numbers too!” Yuri held up her phone – one meant only for emergencies and the few times Yanagi couldn’t come see her in person, since she had no one else to call – and showed an obviously covertly taken picture of Yanagi on the screen.

“I… I see.” Nervousness continued to rise in him, Yanagi harnessing all his self-control to his keep voice casual. “You know, Yuri, if you’re lonely, I could bring other classmates of mine for you to talk to. I’m a bit worried, because like I said before, Kasuka is a bit…”

Yuri just shook her head, her smile remaining even as she met her brother’s eyes.

“I think he’s perfect.” She took the toy Kasuka had given her from beside her pillow, hugging it in her arms. “He’s around you all the time so I can always know how you’re doing, and he’s always happy to talk to me about you. Because of him, I’ve been able to learn lots and lots.” As she spoke, her hold on the doll tightened, seams straining with the threat of bursting. “But you know, I kind of hate him too. He gets to live with you and go to school with you, and he’s always bragging about how nice you are to him. He gets to see you so much more than I do, and there’s so many other people at school who love you too, so…”

“Yuri…” Yanagi reached across Yuri’s sickbed to take her hands, the doll in her arms slouching in relief. “You know that no matter who else is in my life, how often I’m able to see them or how much they like me – my time with you, and the love you give me, will always be the most precious in the world to me.”

Yuri didn’t say anything, squeezing Yanagi’s hands lightly as she sorted through her feelings.  
When her eyes met his again, it was with an expression he’d never seen on her before.

“Maybe, but I don’t think it’s fair that you get to be surrounded by people all the time while I’m all alone. I don’t like how you have someone who’s always by your side while I only get to see you twice a week.” Her tone of voice changed, dipping into a register he immediately recognized from himself. “That’s why, I’m going to take him from you. I’ll do everything you did to him, make him just as obsessed with me as he is with you, so he never wants to leave me. That way, I’ll never have to be alone. And that way I’ll always have you too, even if you spend all your time with other people, even if I become as replaceable as all those other women to you – he’ll never leave you alone, and so I’ll always be with you too.”

It was like looking into a mirror. A pathetic, selfish mirror – their resemblance was uncanny now: the desperation, the willingness to be cruel, to use and manipulate something to satisfy a wish, the need to have someone, anyone around to fill the hole in himself.  
How had he not realized, that she’d become like this too?  
Was everything he’d done not enough?

“Yuri…”

In that moment, her phone dinged, and Yuri smiled again as she picked it up, starting to type out a message. It couldn’t have been from anyone but Kasuka, and through his shock Yanagi tried to find something to say to her and couldn’t.  
After all, he was using Kasuka too – taking advantage of that same obsessiveness to bend him to his will in his drive to get the Top Seat.  
And maybe she already knew that.

“… Use him as much as you like, if it will mean he spends less time with me. Just as long as it doesn’t make it harder to get the Top Seat for you, Yuri.”  
Yuri gave him a nod, still texting, barely reacting to the cruelty in his words.  
“… And tell me if he gives you any trouble. He’s hard to stop once he’s attached, but I know how to reign him in.”

“Maybe you could teach me, then?”

Yuri’s eyes were bright again, her voice as innocent as when she asked him about flower arranging or gardening.  
He smiled back the same as he always did, hiding the weight of realization behind it, wondering if she was doing the same after all she'd learned.

“… I was hoping I wouldn’t have to, but… Anything for you, Yuri.”

**Author's Note:**

> Colopl won't give us a portrait for Yuri even though Mari gets one, which means I get to paint her in my own, horrible strokes (otherwise known as "what if manipulating Kasuka was genetic?")
> 
> I remain @shibutanikaska on twitter, I and continue to ravage this poor fandom with my cursed content. I also translate at @MDRtranslates.


End file.
